1 6492 162 TRAFFIC-RELATED AIR POLLUTION AND GROUND-LEVEL OZONE ASSOCIATED GLOBAL DNA HYPOMETHYLATION AND BULKY DNA ADDUCT FORMATION. STUDIES HAVE INDICATED THAT AIR POLLUTION, INCLUDING SURFACE-LEVEL OZONE (O(3)), CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCE THE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASES. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CARCINOGENIC MECHANISMS OF AIR POLLUTANTS AND IDENTIFY PREDICTIVE DISEASE BIOMARKERS, WE EXAMINED THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TRAFFIC-RELATED POLLUTANTS WITH DNA METHYLATION ALTERATIONS AND BULKY DNA ADDUCTS, TWO BIOMARKERS OF CARCINOGEN EXPOSURE AND CANCER RISK, IN THE PERIPHERAL BLOOD OF 140 VOLUNTEERS-95 TRAFFIC POLICE OFFICERS, AND 45 UNEXPOSED SUBJECTS. THE DNA METHYLATION AND ADDUCT MEASUREMENTS WERE PERFORMED BY BISULFITE-PCR AND PYROSEQUENCING AND (32)P-POSTLABELING ASSAY. AIRBORNE LEVELS OF BENZO(A)PYRENE [B(A)P], CARBON MONOXIDE, AND TROPOSPHERIC O(3) WERE DETERMINED BY PERSONAL EXPOSURE BIOMONITORING OR BY FIXED MONITORING STATIONS. OVERALL, AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION (1.41 UNITS) IN GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION (95% C.I. -2.65-0.04, P = 0.026). THE DECREMENT IN ALU REPETITIVE ELEMENTS WAS GREATEST IN THE POLICEMEN WORKING DOWNTOWN (95% C.I. -3.23--0.49, P = 0.008). THE DNA ADDUCTS WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (0.45 UNITS) IN THE MUNICIPAL OFFICERS WITH RESPECT TO UNEXPOSED SUBJECTS (95% C.I. 0.02-0.88, P = 0.039), MAINLY IN THOSE WHO WERE CONTROLLING TRAFFIC IN DOWNTOWN AREAS (95% C.I. 0.39-1.29, P < 0.001). REGRESSION MODELS INDICATED AN INCREMENT OF ALU METHYLATION AT HIGHER B(A)P CONCENTRATIONS (95% C.I. 0.03-0.60, P = 0.032). MOREOVER, STATISTICAL MODELS SHOWED A DECREMENT IN ALU METHYLATION AND AN INCREMENT OF DNA DAMAGE ONLY ABOVE THE CUT-OFF VALUE OF 30 MICROG/M(3) O(3). A SIGNIFICANT INCREMENT OF 0.73 UNITS OF IL-6 GENE METHYLATION WAS ALSO FOUND IN SMOKERS WITH RESPECT TO NON-SMOKERS. OUR RESULTS HIGHLIGHTED THE ROLE OF AIR POLLUTION ON EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS AND GENOTOXIC EFFECTS, ESPECIALLY ABOVE THE TARGET VALUE OF 30 MICROG/M(3) SURFACE-LEVEL O(3), SUPPORTING THE NECESSITY FOR DEVELOPING PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGIES AIMED TO REDUCE TRAFFIC-RELATED AIR POLLUTION MOLECULAR ALTERATIONS. 2023 2 6491 46 TRAFFIC-DERIVED PARTICULATE MATTER EXPOSURE AND HISTONE H3 MODIFICATION: A REPEATED MEASURES STUDY. BACKGROUND: AIRBORNE PARTICULATE MATTER (PM) MAY INDUCE EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT POTENTIALLY LEAD TO CHRONIC DISEASES. HISTONE MODIFICATIONS REGULATE GENE EXPRESSION BY INFLUENCING CHROMATIN STRUCTURE THAT CAN CHANGE GENE EXPRESSION STATUS. WE EVALUATED WHETHER TRAFFIC-DERIVED PM EXPOSURE IS ASSOCIATED WITH FOUR TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTALLY INDUCIBLE GLOBAL HISTONE H3 MODIFICATIONS. METHODS: THE BEIJING TRUCK DRIVER AIR POLLUTION STUDY INCLUDED 60 TRUCK DRIVERS AND 60 OFFICE WORKERS EXAMINED TWICE, 1-2 WEEKS APART, FOR AMBIENT PM(10) (BOTH DAY-OF AND 14-DAY AVERAGE EXPOSURES), PERSONAL PM(2.5), BLACK CARBON (BC), AND ELEMENTAL COMPONENTS (POTASSIUM, SULFUR, IRON, SILICON, ALUMINUM, ZINC, CALCIUM, AND TITANIUM). FOR BOTH PM(10) MEASURES, WE OBTAINED HOURLY AMBIENT PM(10) DATA FOR THE STUDY PERIOD FROM THE BEIJING MUNICIPAL ENVIRONMENTAL BUREAU'S 27 REPRESENTATIVELY DISTRIBUTED MONITORING STATIONS. WE THEN CALCULATED A 24H AVERAGE FOR EACH EXAMINATION DAY AND A MOVING AVERAGE OF AMBIENT PM(10) MEASURED IN THE 14 DAYS PRIOR TO EACH EXAMINATION. EXAMINATIONS MEASURED GLOBAL LEVELS OF H3 LYSINE 9 ACETYLATION (H3K9AC), H3 LYSINE 9 TRI-METHYLATION (H3K9ME3), H3 LYSINE 27 TRI-METHYLATION (H3K27ME3), AND H3 LYSINE 36 TRI-METHYLATION (H3K36ME3) IN BLOOD LEUKOCYTES COLLECTED AFTER WORK. WE USED ADJUSTED LINEAR MIXED-EFFECT MODELS TO EXAMINE PERCENT CHANGES IN HISTONE MODIFICATIONS PER EACH MUG/M(3) INCREASE IN PM EXPOSURE. RESULTS: IN ALL PARTICIPANTS EACH MUG/M(3) INCREASE IN 14-DAY AVERAGE AMBIENT PM(10) EXPOSURE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER H3K27ME3 (BETA=-1.1%, 95% CI: -1.6, -0.6) AND H3K36ME3 LEVELS (BETA=-0.8%, 95% CI: -1.4, -0.1). OCCUPATION-STRATIFIED ANALYSES SHOWED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN BC AND BOTH H3K9AC AND H3K36ME3 THAT WERE STRONGER IN OFFICE WORKERS (BETA=4.6%, 95% CI: 0.9, 8.4; AND BETA=4.1%, 95% CI: 1.3; 7.0 RESPECTIVELY) THAN IN TRUCK DRIVERS (BETA=0.1%, 95% CI: -1.3, 1.5; AND BETA=0.9%, 95% CI: -0.9, 2.7, RESPECTIVELY; BOTH P(INTERACTION) <0.05). SEX-STRATIFIED ANALYSES SHOWED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN EXAMINATION-DAY PM(10) AND H3K9AC, AND BETWEEN BC AND H3K9ME3, WERE STRONGER IN WOMEN (BETA=10.7%, 95% CI: 5.4, 16.2; AND BETA=7.5%, 95% CI: 1.2, 14.2, RESPECTIVELY) THAN IN MEN (BETA=1.4%, 95% CI: -0.9, 3.7; AND BETA=0.9%, 95% CI: -0.9, 2.7, RESPECTIVELY; BOTH P(INTERACTION) <0.05). WE OBSERVED NO ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN PERSONAL PM(2.5) OR ELEMENTAL COMPONENTS AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS SUGGEST A POSSIBLE ROLE OF GLOBAL HISTONE H3 MODIFICATIONS IN EFFECTS OF TRAFFIC-DERIVED PM EXPOSURES, PARTICULARLY BC EXPOSURE. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD ASSESS THE ROLES OF THESE MODIFICATIONS IN HUMAN DISEASES AND AS POTENTIAL MEDIATORS OF AIR POLLUTION-INDUCED DISEASE, IN PARTICULAR BC EXPOSURE. 2017 3 4317 26 MICRORNAS AS REGULATORS OF AIRBORNE POLLUTION-INDUCED LUNG INFLAMMATION AND CARCINOGENESIS. THE INCREASING INCIDENCE OF PULMONARY INFLAMMATION AND LUNG CANCER, AS WELL AS EXACERBATION OF PRE-EXISTING CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES BY EXPOSURE TO AIRBORNE POLLUTANTS, E.G., PARTICULATE MATTER AND CIGARETTE SMOKE, IS BECOMING A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN IN THE WORLD. HOWEVER, THE EXACT MECHANISMS OF PULMONARY INJURY FROM EXPOSURE TO THESE AIRBORNE INSULTS HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY ELUCIDATED. NEVERTHELESS, ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT MICRORNAS (MIRNAS) MAY PLAY A UNIQUE ROLE IN THE REGULATION OF AIRBORNE AGENT-INDUCED LUNG INFLAMMATION AND CARCINOGENESIS. SINCE EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE HERITABLE AND REVERSIBLE, THIS MAY PROVIDE A NEW INSIGHT INTO THE RELATIONSHIP OF MIRNAS AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION-RELATED LUNG DISORDERS. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO UPDATE OUR EXISTING KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH AIRBORNE POLLUTANTS ALTERING MIRNA PROFILES IN THE LUNG, SPECIFICALLY FOR CIGARETTE SMOKE AND AIRBORNE PARTICULATE MATTER, AND THE POTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL ROLES OF MIRNAS IN THE INITIATION OF PULMONARY INFLAMMATION AND LUNG CANCER, AS WELL AS THE REGULATION OF UNDERLYING GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TO THESE ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS. 2015 4 298 46 AIR POLLUTION AND AIRWAY DISEASE. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL RESEARCH CONTINUES TO SUPPORT A LINK BETWEEN URBAN AIR POLLUTION AND AN INCREASED INCIDENCE AND/OR SEVERITY OF AIRWAY DISEASE. DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS OF OZONE (O(3)), NITROGEN DIOXIDE (NO(2)) AND PARTICULATE MATTER (PM), AS WELL AS TRAFFIC-RELATED POLLUTION AS A WHOLE, ON RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS AND FUNCTION ARE WELL DOCUMENTED. NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE STRONG EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION AND EXACERBATION OF ASTHMA AND RESPIRATORY MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), BUT RECENT STUDIES, PARTICULARLY IN URBAN AREAS, HAVE SUGGESTED A ROLE FOR POLLUTANTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH ASTHMA AND COPD. SIMILARLY, WHILE PREVALENCE AND SEVERITY OF ATOPIC CONDITIONS APPEAR TO BE MORE COMMON IN URBAN COMPARED WITH RURAL COMMUNITIES, EVIDENCE IS EMERGING THAT TRAFFIC-RELATED POLLUTANTS MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALLERGY. FURTHERMORE, NUMEROUS EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES SUGGEST AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EXPOSURE TO NO(2) , O(3) , PM AND COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OF BIOMASS FUELS AND AN INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO AND MORBIDITY FROM RESPIRATORY INFECTION. GIVEN THE CONSIDERABLE CONTRIBUTION THAT TRAFFIC EMISSIONS MAKE TO URBAN AIR POLLUTION RESEARCHERS HAVE SOUGHT TO CHARACTERIZE THE RELATIVE TOXICITY OF TRAFFIC-RELATED PM POLLUTANTS. RECENT ADVANCES IN MECHANISMS IMPLICATED IN THE ASSOCIATION OF AIR POLLUTANTS AND AIRWAY DISEASE INCLUDE EPIGENETIC ALTERATION OF GENES BY COMBUSTION-RELATED POLLUTANTS AND HOW POLYMORPHISMS IN GENES INVOLVED IN ANTIOXIDANT PATHWAYS AND AIRWAY INFLAMMATION CAN MODIFY RESPONSES TO AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURES. OTHER INTERESTING EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS RELATED TO INCREASED HOST SUSCEPTIBILITY INCLUDE A POSSIBLE LINK BETWEEN CHRONIC PM EXPOSURE DURING CHILDHOOD AND VULNERABILITY TO COPD IN ADULTHOOD, AND THAT INFANTS SUBJECTED TO HIGHER PRENATAL LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTION MAY BE AT GREATER RISK OF DEVELOPING RESPIRATORY CONDITIONS. WHILE THE CHARACTERIZATION OF POLLUTANT COMPONENTS AND SOURCES PROMISE TO GUIDE POLLUTION CONTROL STRATEGIES, THE IDENTIFICATION OF SUSCEPTIBLE SUBPOPULATIONS WILL BE NECESSARY IF TARGETED THERAPY/PREVENTION OF POLLUTION-INDUCED RESPIRATORY DISEASES IS TO BE DEVELOPED. 2011 5 363 33 AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION: HEALTH HAZARDS TO CHILDREN. AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION IS PRODUCED BY SOURCES INCLUDING VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS, HYDRAULIC FRACTURING, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AND FOREST FIRES. IT CONSISTS OF PRIMARY POLLUTANTS GENERATED BY COMBUSTION AND SECONDARY POLLUTANTS FORMED IN THE ATMOSPHERE FROM PRECURSOR GASES. AIR POLLUTION CAUSES AND EXACERBATES CLIMATE CHANGE, AND CLIMATE CHANGE WORSENS HEALTH EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION. INFANTS AND CHILDREN ARE UNIQUELY SENSITIVE TO AIR POLLUTION, BECAUSE THEIR ORGANS ARE DEVELOPING AND THEY HAVE HIGHER AIR PER BODY WEIGHT INTAKE. HEALTH EFFECTS LINKED TO AIR POLLUTION INCLUDE NOT ONLY EXACERBATIONS OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES BUT ALSO REDUCED LUNG FUNCTION DEVELOPMENT AND INCREASED ASTHMA INCIDENCE. ADDITIONAL OUTCOMES OF CONCERN INCLUDE PRETERM BIRTH, LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS, IQ LOSS, PEDIATRIC CANCERS, AND INCREASED RISKS FOR ADULT CHRONIC DISEASES. THESE EFFECTS ARE MEDIATED BY OXIDATIVE STRESS, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION, AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN. NATURAL EXPERIMENTS DEMONSTRATE THAT WITH INITIATIVES SUCH AS INCREASED USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, BOTH AIR QUALITY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVE. SIMILARLY, THE CLEAN AIR ACT HAS IMPROVED AIR QUALITY, ALTHOUGH EXPOSURE INEQUITIES PERSIST. OTHER EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING AIR POLLUTION INCLUDE ENDING RELIANCE ON COAL, OIL, AND GAS; REGULATING INDUSTRIAL EMISSIONS; REDUCING EXPOSURE WITH ATTENTION TO PROXIMITY OF RESIDENCES, SCHOOLS, AND CHILD CARE FACILITIES TO TRAFFIC; AND A GREATER AWARENESS OF THE AIR QUALITY INDEX. THIS POLICY REVIEWS BOTH SHORT- AND LONG-TERM HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION, ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO DEVELOPMENTAL EXPOSURES. IT EXAMINES INDIVIDUAL, COMMUNITY, AND LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE AIR POLLUTION. 2021 6 813 42 CHANGES IN POLY(ADP-RIBOSYL)ATION PATTERNS IN WORKERS EXPOSED TO BTX. OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO (BENZENE, TOLUENE AND XYLENE, BTX IS COMMON IN THE CHINESE WORKPLACE. CHRONIC OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO BENZENE IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF HEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES SUCH AS ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA (AML), BUT THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS ARE STILL UNCLEAR. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES CHANGES IN POLY(ADP-RIBOSYL)ATION AND DNA METHYLATION IN SUBJECTS OCCUPATIONALLY EXPOSED TO A BTX. BLOOD DNA SAMPLES AND EXPOSURE DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM SUBJECTS WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EXPOSURE, INCLUDING 132 DECORATORS, 129 PAINTERS, AND 130 UNEXPOSED REFERENTS IN A CONTAINER-MANUFACTURING FACTORY IN SHENZHEN, CHINA. OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT INCLUDED PERSONAL MONITORING OF AIRBORNE BENZENE, TOLUENE AND XYLENE. HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS WERE MEASURED AND THE CYTOKINESIS-BLOCK MICRONUCLEUS (CBMN) ASSAY WAS USED TO DETECT DNA DAMAGE IN PERIPHERAL LYMPHOCYTES. QUANTITATIVE REAL-TIME PCR WAS USED TO DETECT THE MRNA EXPRESSION OF POLY(ADP-RIBOSE) POLYMERASE 1 (PARP1) AND POLY(ADP-RIBOSE) GLYCOHYDROLASE (PARG), DNA METHYLTRANSFERASES (DNMTS) INCLUDING DNMT1, DNMT3A AND DNMT3B, METHYL-CPG-BINDING DOMAIN PROTEIN 2(MBD2). PARP1 ASSAY WAS USED TO MEASURE PARP ACTIVITY. AIRBORNE LEVELS OF BENZENE, TOLUENE AND XYLENE IN THE TWO EXPOSED GROUPS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THOSE OF CONTROLS (P<0.001). THE TWO EXPOSED GROUPS (DECORATORS, PAINTERS) SHOWED DECREASED PARP1, DNMTS AND MBD2 EXPRESSION RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (P<0.05), AND PARP ACTIVITY WAS ALSO DECREASED (P<0.05). DECREASED PARP1, DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3B AND MBD2 MRNA EXPRESSION WAS CORRELATED WITH INCREASED AIRBORNE BTX (PEARSON'S R: -0.587, -0.314, -0.636, -0.567 AND -0.592 RESPECTIVELY, P<0.001). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND CBMN WERE FOUND AMONG THE THREE GROUPS. TOGETHER, THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT DECREASED DNMTS, MBD2 AND PARP1 MIGHT BE INVOLVED IN THE GLOBAL HYPOMETHYLATION ASSOCIATED WITH BTX EXPOSURE, AND THE IMBALANCE OF PARP/PARG MIGHT PARTICIPATE IN THE DOWN-REGULATION OF DNMTS. THIS IS THE FIRST HUMAN STUDY TO LINK ALTERED POLY(ADP-RIBOSYL)ATION PATTERNS, WHICH REPRODUCE THE ABERRANT EPIGENETIC PATTERNS FOUND IN BENZENE-TREATED CELLS, TO CHRONIC OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO BTX. 2014 7 1223 37 CRITICAL REVIEW ON EMERGING HEALTH EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND ITS SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT. INDOOR AIR QUALITY (IAQ) IS ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS AFFECTING PEOPLE'S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. CURRENTLY, THERE IS A LACK OF AWARENESS AMONG PEOPLE ABOUT THE QUANTIFICATION, IDENTIFICATION, AND POSSIBLE HEALTH EFFECTS OF IAQ. AIRBORNE POLLUTANTS SUCH AS VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCS), PARTICULATE MATTER (PM), SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2), CARBON MONOXIDE (CO), NITROUS OXIDE (NO), POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS) MICROBIAL SPORES, POLLEN, ALLERGENS, ETC. PRIMARILY CONTRIBUTE TO IAQ DETERIORATION. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES THE SOURCES OF MAJOR INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS, MOLECULAR TOXICITY MECHANISMS, AND THEIR EFFECTS ON CARDIOVASCULAR, OCULAR, NEUROLOGICAL, WOMEN, AND FOETAL HEALTH. ADDITIONALLY, CONTEMPORARY STRATEGIES AND SUSTAINABLE METHODS FOR REGULATING AND REDUCING POLLUTANT CONCENTRATIONS ARE EMPHASIZED, AND CURRENT INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS AND ENHANCE IAQ ARE EXPLORED, ALONG WITH THEIR UNIQUE ADVANTAGES AND POTENTIALS. DUE TO THEIR LONGER EXPOSURE TIMES AND PARTICULAR PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE MORE AT RISK FOR POOR INDOOR AIR QUALITY. BY TRIGGERING MANY TOXICITY MECHANISMS, INCLUDING OXIDATIVE STRESS, DNA METHYLATION, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, AND GENE ACTIVATION, INDOOR AIR POLLUTION CAN CAUSE A RANGE OF HEALTH ISSUES. LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, ACUTE LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS, SICK BUILDING SYNDROMES (SBS), AND EARLY DEATH ARE MORE PREVALENT IN EXPOSED RESIDENTS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE MAIN CAUSES OF INCAPACITY AND EARLY MORTALITY ARE LUNG CANCER, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS. IT'S CRUCIAL TO ACKNOWLEDGE ANTICIPATED RESEARCH NEEDS AND IMPLEMENTED EFFICIENT INTERVENTIONS AND POLICIES TO LOWER HEALTH HAZARDS. 2023 8 299 35 AIR POLLUTION AND DNA METHYLATION: EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE IN HUMANS. AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE IS ESTIMATED TO CONTRIBUTE TO APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MILLION EARLY DEATHS EVERY YEAR WORLDWIDE AND MORE THAN 3% OF DISABILITY-ADJUSTED LIFE YEARS LOST. AIR POLLUTION HAS NUMEROUS HARMFUL EFFECTS ON HEALTH AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND MORBIDITY OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, METABOLIC DISORDERS, AND A NUMBER OF LUNG PATHOLOGIES, INCLUDING ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). EMERGING DATA INDICATE THAT AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE MODULATES THE EPIGENETIC MARK, DNA METHYLATION (DNAM), AND THAT THESE CHANGES MIGHT IN TURN INFLUENCE INFLAMMATION, DISEASE DEVELOPMENT, AND EXACERBATION RISK. SEVERAL TRAFFIC-RELATED AIR POLLUTION (TRAP) COMPONENTS, INCLUDING PARTICULATE MATTER (PM), BLACK CARBON (BC), OZONE (O(3)), NITROGEN OXIDES (NO(X)), AND POLYAROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS), HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN DNAM; TYPICALLY LOWERING DNAM AFTER EXPOSURE. EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON DNAM HAVE BEEN OBSERVED ACROSS THE HUMAN LIFESPAN, BUT IT IS NOT YET CLEAR WHETHER EARLY LIFE DEVELOPMENTAL SENSITIVITY OR THE ACCUMULATION OF EXPOSURES HAVE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON HEALTH. AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE-ASSOCIATED DNAM PATTERNS ARE OFTEN CORRELATED WITH LONG-TERM NEGATIVE RESPIRATORY HEALTH OUTCOMES, INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF LUNG DISEASES, A FOCUS IN THIS REVIEW. RECENTLY, INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS EXERCISE AND B VITAMINS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF AIR POLLUTION ON DNAM AND HEALTH. ULTIMATELY, IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE OF HOW EXPOSURE-INDUCED CHANGE IN DNAM IMPACTS HEALTH, BOTH ACUTELY AND CHRONICALLY, MAY ENABLE PREVENTATIVE AND REMEDIAL STRATEGIES TO REDUCE MORBIDITY IN POLLUTED ENVIRONMENTS. 2019 9 642 43 BIOMARKERS OF PARTICULATE MATTER EXPOSURE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: IN RECENT YEARS, AMBIENT PARTICULATE MATTER (PM) EXPOSURE HAS BEEN STRONGLY LINKED WITH HEALTH EFFECTS. ELEVATED LEVELS OF PM IN POLLUTED AIR HAVE BEEN CORRELATED WITH THE ONSET AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE BIOMARKERS THAT COULD REFLECT THE EFFECTS OF PM EXPOSURE IN PATIENTS WITH COPD. METHODS: WE PERFORMED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF STUDIES PUBLISHED ON BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH PM EXPOSURE IN PATIENTS WITH COPD BETWEEN JANUARY 01, 2012 AND JUNE 30, 2022 IN PUBMED/MEDLINE, EMBASE, AND COCHRANE DATABASES. STUDIES THAT INCLUDED DATA ON BIOMARKERS WITH COPD EXPOSED PM WERE ELIGIBLE FOR INCLUSION. BIOMARKERS WERE CLASSIFIED INTO 4 GROUPS ACCORDING TO THEIR MECHANISMS. RESULTS: OF THE 105 STUDIES IDENTIFIED, 22 WERE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY. NEARLY 50 BIOMARKERS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED IN THE STUDIES INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW, AND THE MOST STUDIED IN RELATION TO PM ARE SEVERAL INTERLEUKINS. VARIOUS MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED BY WHICH PM INDUCES AND AGGRAVATES COPD. SIX STUDIES RELATED TO OXIDATIVE STRESS, ONE RELATED TO DIRECT EFFECT OF INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEMS, 16 ASSOCIATED WITH GENETIC REGULATION OF INFLAMMATION, AND TWO RELATED TO EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF PHYSIOLOGY AND SUSCEPTIBILITY WERE FOUND. BIOMARKERS RELATED TO THESE MECHANISMS WERE DETECTED IN SERUM, SPUTUM, URINE, EXHALED BREATH CONCENTRATION (EBC), AND SHOWED VARIOUS CORRELATIONS WITH PM IN COPD. CONCLUSIONS: VARIOUS BIOMARKERS HAVE SHOWN POTENTIAL IN PREDICTING THE EXTENT OF PM EXPOSURE IN COPD PATIENTS. FUTURE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO ESTABLISH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REGULATION TO REDUCE AIRBORNE PM, WHICH COULD BE USED TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESPIRATORY DISEASES. 2023 10 360 27 AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION AND BIOMARKERS OF HEALTH EFFECT. RECENTLY, THE AIR POLLUTION SITUATION OF OUR COUNTRY IS VERY SERIOUS ALONG WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIALIZATION. STUDIES INDICATE THAT THE EXPOSURE OF AIR POLLUTION CAN CAUSE A RISE OF INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY OF MANY DISEASES, SUCH AS CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), ASTHMA, MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, AND SO ON. HOWEVER, THERE IS NOW GROWING EVIDENCE SHOWING THAT SIGNIFICANT AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY BIOMARKERS IN VARIOUS SYSTEMS OF THE BODY. IN ORDER TO BETTER PREVENT AND CONTROL THE DAMAGE EFFECT OF AIR POLLUTION, THIS ARTICLE SUMMARIZES COMPREHENSIVELY EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES ABOUT THE BAD EFFECTS ON THE BIOMARKERS OF RESPIRATORY SYSTEM, CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC SYSTEM EXPOSURE TO AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION. 2017 11 300 33 AIR POLLUTION AND INDOOR SETTINGS. INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO TOTAL HUMAN EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTANTS, AS PEOPLE SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME INDOORS. HOUSEHOLD AIR POLLUTION (HAP) RESULTING FROM COOKING WITH POLLUTING ("DIRTY") FUELS, WHICH INCLUDE COAL, KEROSENE, AND BIOMASS (WOOD, CHARCOAL, CROP RESIDUES, AND ANIMAL MANURE) IS A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM. INDOOR POLLUTANTS ARE GASES, PARTICULATES, TOXINS, AND MICROORGANISMS AMONG OTHERS, THAT CAN HAVE AN IMPACT ESPECIALLY ON THE HEALTH OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS THROUGH A COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT MECHANISMS ON OXIDATIVE STRESS AND GENE ACTIVATION, EPIGENETIC, CELLULAR, AND IMMUNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. AIR POLLUTION IS A MAJOR RISK FACTOR AND CONTRIBUTOR TO MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY FROM MAJOR CHRONIC DISEASES. CHILDREN ARE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED BY THE IMPACT OF THE ENVIRONMENT DUE TO BIOLOGICAL IMMATURITY, PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL LUNG DEVELOPMENT. POOR AIR QUALITY HAS BEEN RELATED TO AN INCREASED PREVALENCE OF CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF ALLERGIC ASTHMA AND RHINITIS. HEALTH PROFESSIONALS SHOULD INCREASE THEIR ROLE IN MANAGING THE EXPOSURE OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS TO AIR POLLUTION WITH BETTER METHODS OF CARE, PREVENTION, AND COLLECTIVE ACTION. INTERVENTIONS TO REDUCE HOUSEHOLD POLLUTANTS MAY PROMOTE HEALTH AND CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH EDUCATION, COMMUNITY, AND HEALTH PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT. 2021 12 1916 36 ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS AND TELOMERE LENGTH IN HUMAN STUDIES. TELOMERES ARE COMPLEXES OF TANDEM REPEATS OF DNA (5'-TTAGGG-3') AND PROTEIN THAT CAP EUKARYOTIC CHROMOSOMES AND PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN CHROMOSOME STABILITY. TELOMERES SHORTEN WITH AGING AND THIS PROCESS CAN BE ACCELERATED BY INCREASED OXIDATIVE STRESS AND EPISODES OF INFLAMMATION. EVIDENCE IS RAPIDLY GROWING THAT TELOMERE LENGTH (TL) MAY BE AFFECTED BY ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS THAT HAVE FREQUENTLY BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC DISEASES. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE REVIEW THE PUBLISHED DATA ON TL IN RELATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO SEVERAL CHEMICALS BASED ON OUR OWN AND OTHERS' STUDIES. THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES ASSOCIATED WITH SHORTER TL INCLUDE TRAFFIC-RELATED AIR POLLUTION (IE, PARTICULATE MATTER (PM), BLACK CARBON (BC), AND BENZENE AND TOLUENE), POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS), N-NITROSAMINES, PESTICIDES, LEAD, EXPOSURE IN CAR MECHANICAL WORKSHOPS, AND HAZARDOUS WASTE EXPOSURE. ARSENIC, PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (POPS) AND SHORT-TERM EXPOSURE TO PM ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LONGER TL. WE DISCUSS THE POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THE DIFFERENCES IN RESULTS, INCLUDING TIME- AND DOSE-RELATED ISSUES, STUDY DESIGN, AND POSSIBLE MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN TELOMERE REGULATION. WE ALSO DISCUSS THE FUTURE DIRECTIONS AND CHALLENGES FOR TL-RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH RESEARCH, SUCH AS INVESTIGATION OF TL IN SUBPOPULATIONS OF BLOOD LEUKOCYTES, AND THE STUDY OF GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS THAT MAY REGULATE TELOMERE INTEGRITY USING LONGITUDINAL DESIGNS. 2013 13 2940 43 GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS IN NORMAL AND SENSITIVE COPD-DISEASED HUMAN BRONCHIAL EPITHELIAL CELLS REPEATEDLY EXPOSED TO AIR POLLUTION-DERIVED PM(2.5). EVEN THOUGH CLINICAL, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL STUDIES HAVE PROGRESSIVELY PROVIDED A BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS BY WHICH AIR POLLUTION-DERIVED PARTICULATE MATTER (PM) EXERTS ITS HARMFUL HEALTH EFFECTS, FURTHER IN VITRO STUDIES ON RELEVANT CELL SYSTEMS ARE STILL NEEDED. HENCE, AIMING OF GETTING CLOSER TO THE HUMAN IN VIVO CONDITIONS, PRIMARY HUMAN BRONCHIAL EPITHELIAL CELLS DERIVED FROM NORMAL SUBJECTS (NHBE) OR SENSITIVE CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD)-DISEASED PATIENTS (DHBE) WERE DIFFERENTIATED AT THE AIR-LIQUID INTERFACE. THEREAFTER, THEY WERE REPEATEDLY EXPOSED TO AIR POLLUTION-DERIVED PM(2.5) TO STUDY THE OCCURRENCE OF SOME RELEVANT GENETIC AND/OR EPIGENETIC ENDPOINTS. CONCENTRATION-, EXPOSURE- AND SEASON-DEPENDENT INCREASES OF OH-B[A]P METABOLITES IN NHBE, AND TO A LESSER EXTENT, COPD-DHBE CELLS WERE REPORTED; HOWEVER, THERE WERE MORE TETRA-OH-B[A]P AND 8-OHDG DNA ADDUCTS IN COPD-DHBE CELLS. NO INCREASE IN PRIMARY DNA STRAND BREAK NOR CHROMOSOMAL ABERRATION WAS OBSERVED IN REPEATEDLY EXPOSED CELLS. TELOMERE LENGTH AND TELOMERASE ACTIVITY WERE MODIFIED IN A CONCENTRATION- AND EXPOSURE-DEPENDENT MANNER IN NHBE AND PARTICULARLY COPD-DHBE CELLS. THERE WERE A GLOBAL DNA HYPOMETHYLATION, A P16 GENE PROMOTER HYPERMETHYLATION, AND A DECREASING DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE ACTIVITY IN NHBE AND NOTABLY COPD-DHBE CELLS REPEATEDLY EXPOSED. CHANGES IN SITE-SPECIFIC METHYLATION, ACETYLATION, AND PHOSPHORYLATION OF HISTONE H3 (I.E., H3K4ME3, H3K9AC, H3K27AC, AND H3S10PH) AND RELATED ENZYME ACTIVITIES OCCURRED IN A CONCENTRATION- AND EXPOSURE-DEPENDENT MANNER IN ALL THE REPEATEDLY EXPOSED CELLS. COLLECTIVELY, THESE RESULTS HIGHLIGHTED THE KEY ROLE PLAYED BY GENETIC AND EVEN EPIGENETIC EVENTS IN NHBE AND PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE COPD-DHBE CELLS REPEATEDLY EXPOSED TO AIR POLLUTION-DERIVED PM(2.5) AND THEIR DIFFERENT RESPONSIVENESS. WHILE THESE SPECIFIC EPIGENETIC CHANGES HAVE BEEN ALREADY DESCRIBED IN COPD AND EVEN LUNG CANCER PHENOTYPES, OUR FINDINGS SUPPORTED THAT, TOGETHER WITH GENETIC EVENTS, THESE EPIGENETIC EVENTS COULD DRAMATICALLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE SHIFT FROM HEALTHY TO DISEASED PHENOTYPES FOLLOWING REPEATED EXPOSURE TO RELATIVELY LOW DOSES OF AIR POLLUTION-DERIVED PM(2.5). 2017 14 3063 43 GENOME-WIDE DNA METHYLATION AND LONG-TERM AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE IN KOREAN ADULTS. BACKGROUND: AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH NUMEROUS ADVERSE HEALTH OUTCOMES, BUT THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD; EPIGENETIC EFFECTS INCLUDING ALTERED DNA METHYLATION COULD PLAY A ROLE. TO EVALUATE ASSOCIATIONS OF LONG-TERM AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE WITH DNA METHYLATION IN BLOOD, WE CONDUCTED AN EPIGENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDY IN A KOREAN CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE COHORT (N = 100 INCLUDING 60 CASES) USING ILLUMINA'S INFINIUM HUMANMETHYLATION450K BEADCHIP. ANNUAL AVERAGE CONCENTRATIONS OF PARTICULATE MATTER